Feds release scathing report on Chicago police

CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has issued a scathing report on civil rights abuses by Chicago’s police department over the years.

Justice Department officials released the report Friday after a yearlong investigation. It found that institutional Chicago Police Department problems had led to serious civil rights violations, including racial bias and a tendency to use excessive force.

The investigation was launched in 2015 after the release of dashcam video showing an officer shoot a black teenager, Laquan McDonald, 16 times.

The report is one step in a long process that, in recent years, has typically led to bilateral talks between the Justice Department and a city, followed by settlement plan that a judge enforces.